33 Organizations in Gyeongnam Urge Cancellation of 'Gyeongnam Queer Culture Festival'... Opposition Rally Announced

November 25th: Rallies Held Near Changwon Square

"Cancel the queer festival immediately that destroys the family recognized by the Constitution and goes against the sentiment of the provincial residents!"

With the Gyeongnam Queer Culture Festival, a sexual minority festival, scheduled to be held on the 25th, parents, teachers, civil society groups, and religious organizations including Christian, Buddhist, and Catholic groups in the province held a press conference on the 9th and shouted this.

Thirty-three organizations, including the Gyeongnam Holy City Movement Headquarters, the Love for Nation Association, the Right Value Protection Movement Association, and the National Education Recovery Teachers Association, urged the cancellation of the queer festival.

They claimed, "The queer festival violates the constitutional principle of gender equality, dismantles the traditional family order that should be protected, and denies marriage," and "It incites sexual identity confusion among children, who are the future generation."

They added, "According to a 2019 public opinion survey on the queer festival conducted by Korea Research, 54% opposed it, and 22% supported it," and "The majority of the public does not want the queer festival, and social consensus among Gyeongnam residents has not been reached."

They also said, "Psychiatrists say that exposure to queer-related culture such as comics, novels, and movies about homosexuality can naturally lead to becoming homosexual through learning," and "The queer festival promotes homosexuality to the future generation and also affects the decline in birth rates."

A press conference urging the cancellation of the Gyeongnam Queer Culture Festival was held in front of the main gate of Changwon City Hall, Gyeongnam.
[Photo by Lee Seryeong]

The organizations emphasized, "While respecting their human rights, we will actively block attempts to popularize homosexual culture," and "We hope that not only the children but also the citizens of Changwon and Gyeongnam will not participate in the queer festival."

These groups plan to hold anti-queer culture festival rallies on the 25th at two locations: near the statue of General Choi Yoon-deok on Jungang-daero in Seongsan-gu, Changwon, and near Jeongwoo Shopping Center.

The 3rd Queer Culture Festival will be held on Jungang-daero in front of Lotte Department Store, opposite Changwon Plaza.

The Gyeongnam Queer Culture Festival, which started in 2019, was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and this year it will be held on-site for the first time in four years under the theme "Color it with a Rainbow."

The Gyeongnam Queer Culture Festival Organizing Committee stated, "The queer culture festival is not a privilege or something dangerous only for sexual minorities but a cultural event that everyone can enjoy," and "Dangerous situations arise due to the spontaneous actions of hate groups armed with hatred who try to disrupt the festival in an organized manner."

They added, "We will respond strongly and legally without hesitation to any disruption by hate groups."

Changwon City announced in a statement on the day that it will actively cooperate with and support the police to ensure citizen safety during the rallies.

They plan to respond according to relevant laws regarding traffic obstruction causing inconvenience to citizens, unauthorized occupation of roads outside the reported rally locations, and the sale of harmful materials to youth.

A representative of the Changwon Jungbu Police Station, the jurisdictional police station, said, "We are coordinating the times and march routes of the two rallies to prevent any possible clashes," and "We will mobilize police forces to maintain order on-site and protect citizens."